


Just a Little in Love

by MiddleofNowhere92



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Modern Era, Pining, Roommates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29015823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiddleofNowhere92/pseuds/MiddleofNowhere92
Summary: The way to Mai's heart is through her stomach. Her and Sokka share a snack on New Year's Eve.
Relationships: Aang & Mai (Avatar), Mai & Sokka (Avatar), Mai/Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Just a Little in Love

Aang popped in Mai’s doorway with Appa bounding behind him, “Mai, come on! It’s almost midnight!” He looked like he was about to absolutely explode with excitement. Her golden eyes fixed on him, “It’s just another day. Who cares?”

His grey eyes rolled and he climbed onto her bed to pull her out of it, “Maaaaaiii. Come oooooon. It’s New Year’s!” Each of his words was punctuated by a tug on her hand.” He grumbled, “You’re so stubborn.” Momo’s ears perked and his small head peaked above where he was burrowed into the comforter, his green eyes displeased at Aang and Appa disturbing his nap. 

Mai’s lips turned in a tight smile, “Thank you. It’s one of my strengths.” He groaned, “Just come watch the stupid ball drop! Then you can go back to whatever it is you do.” Aang was actually starting to exert serious effort, so she finally took pity on him.  She paused Criminal Minds and got out of bed. Momo stood and stretched, then slunk behind her. Aang and Appa bolted ahead of her to the living room. She paused in the kitchen to grabbed a beer. When she popped her head out of the fridge she took an inhale and smelled something,  _ something good. _

Mai had a knack for finding food. She could hear a snack opening across the house or smell something being cooked even if she was dead asleep. She sniffed again. Sokka was making something and she would find it. 

She turned the oven light on and peeked through the window, but she couldn’t see anything. She glanced from left to right, making sure no one was around and then she slowly and quietly started checking all the places he thought she didn’t know about.

Her golden eyes widened as she finally found the tray of treats on top of the refrigerator. The tray was still hot, Sokka must have just finished making bannock. He probably meant for them to have it as breakfast tomorrow, but there was no time like the present. She wondered if they had berries or jam. 

“Mai!” The shout caught her off guard. She turned around wide eyed. Sokka groaned, “I’ve told you a hundred times, you have to let things cool.” She rolled her eyes but left the tray untouched.

Before she could retort, Aang’s voice rang out, “Guys come on! The countdown is gonna start soon!” They both shuffled into the living room, Mai’s burgundy pajama pants dragging on the floor. 

Sokka hopped over the couch. Mai curled into the furthest corner and Momo jumped into her lap, as if she was just a cushion on the couch. Mai glanced at the TV and shot a dirty look at Aang, “Your dumb countdown doesn’t start for another five minutes.” He shrugged, “It didn’t take as long to get you out of bed as I thought it would.” Sokka snorted while Mai thought of how she would get Aang back. 

The dumb New Year’s Eve show reminded her of her mom, of sitting around watching vapid celebrities party, when Mai really didn’t give a flying fuck about them. But while Mai had mixed feelings about her mother, she would do just about anything for Aang. When Zuko and her were dating, he had always treated Aang as a little brother. Mai eventually did too. Secretly she held a soft spot for the kid. He reminded her of her little brother, Tom-Tom, that she really fucking missed. 

When her and Zuko had broken up, she thought that Aang just wouldn’t be her little homie anymore. He was Zuko’s friend first after all. But Aang wasn’t like that. He was friendly as ever and after she couch surfed for a few months, Aang invited her to move into his house. 

Mai was hesitant. Her and Aang had very opposite personalities, but it had actually not been too bad. He wasn’t as invasive and peppy as Ty Lee. If Mai lived with Ty Lee she could live with anyone. 

The roommates did struggle in the food department. As Tom-Tom told her, “You need a cooker.” Aang tried his hand at vegan recipes, but they usually turned out inedible. Mai knew she sure as shit couldn’t cook, so they survived on take out, deviations of pizza and cereal. 

The Watertribe siblings had come over one day. Katara had gone to grab a drink from the fridge. She had turned to the roommates and said, “You guys need to do groceries. Your fridge is empty.” Mai shrugged, “That’s how it always is.” Sokka looked at the two roommates in shock, “What in the Spirits do you two eat?”

“Fire Flakes,” Mai quipped. 

“Cereal with almond milk,” Aang added.

“Pizza,” Mai reminded him. 

“Pizza rolls,” Aang listed.

“Those little bagel pizzas-”

“You two eat like five year olds instead of fully functioning adults!” Sokka snapped. 

Aang didn’t seem to notice. He turned to Mai, “My friend Sokka is a really good cook, but he never makes me food. Can you believe that?” “What an ass,” Mai drawled. 

Katara dragged Sokka out of the house before he could have a complete meltdown. 

A few months later, Sokka and Suki had broken up. Aang had invited Sokka to move in too and so he had. Again, Mai was hesitant, because the last thing she needed was another extrovert. But she discovered Sokka usually kept himself busy cooking, playing video games or building things. And to her surprise, she had fallen just a little in love with Sokka the first time she had tried his bannock recipe.

She had woken up from her nap as the smell wafted into her room, enticing her. She padded into the kitchen as Sokka gracefully shifted the frying pan to cook the pieces of dough. She closed her eyes, took a deep inhale and smelled the fresh dough and oil. Sokka had grinned at her and asked, “Want some?” 

And so it went. At first, each time Mai had drifted into the kitchen she was like a skittish animal. She would try to be patient to see what he had made and wait to be offered whatever it was. But as the months went on, Mai got more comfortable. 

As soon as she would hear a kitchen cabinet open, her feet would hit the floor, usually with Appa following close by. She would hop onto a stool at the island to watch Sokka work. She learned the earlier in the cooking process she showed up, the more tastes she got. 

He would ask her-

“What do you think of this?”

“Should I add more of this?”

“I overdid it with the spices didn’t I?”

And soon it became that Mai would reach to lick the spoon or sneak a taste by sticking her finger in something she shouldn’t, before her opinion was asked for the flavor. Of course she snuck bits and pieces to Appa, who usually lay panting by her feet.

Mai wasn’t a foodie like Sokka, who completely geeked out over recipes and cookware. Everything he made seemed to be the best thing she had ever eaten. Even though as a child, she had been taken to five star restaurants and had most meals cooked by a private chef. But with each taste he let her have (or sneak) she found herself falling just a little more in love. 

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Aang started counting down, “Three..Two..One! Happy New Year’s Guys!” Mai indulged him, “Happy New Year, little dude.” She curled further into the couch as she saw Sokka struggling to open a champagne bottle. He finally wrestled the cork loose and it popped loudly as it zoomed across the room, terrifying Momo. 

Aang stood from his place on the couch, “Well, good night guys.” It was only two minutes past midnight. Mai looked at him incredulously, “You got me out of bed for this?” Aang bounced in the direction of his room, “Night!” Momo, who was always looking for peace and quiet, darted after him. 

The kitchen timer went off and Sokka hopped up. Mai trailed behind him and sat expectantly at the counter, Appa laying by her feet, just as expectant. Her golden eyes tracked Sokka, watching with envy at his mastery in the kitchen. Just by looking, he decided the bannock was indeed ready. He rifled through the cabinets and refrigerator producing honey, berries and a jar of homemade jam that she hadn’t seen before (he had hidden it behind the canned vegetables where she rarely looked).

His large hands delicately opened each piece of fried dough and applied just enough of the jam. He plated them and drizzled honey and berries on top, as if he was serving the dish for a food network judge, and not Mai in a messy bun and an old Pierce the Veil t-shirt with a few holes in it. Mai’s long fingers delicately picked up the treat, as if it was the greatest delicacy he could present to her, and brought it to her lips.

“Mm,” She moaned as she took a bite, her eyes shut as if she could only focus on her sense of taste, “This is perfection.”

And she would never know, because each time she took a first bite, she savored it with her eyes closed, but if she had snuck just a glance- she would have seen that Sokka had fallen just a little in love with her too. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this idea came out of both Sokka and Mai being the characters in the show that love food. 
> 
> I completely love Mai and Aang as friends and my hand slipped and I ended up writing more of them than I intended. 
> 
> The recipe Sokka makes is called bannock, which is like frybread that Indigenous people make in Canada. I'm from the midwestern US and at the pow wows I've been to the frybread is kind of like funnel cake, so if I didn't describe bannock accurately or something please let me know and I'll update. I just wanted Sokka to have Indigenous food, but of course he would put his own spin on it.
> 
> If you haven't gotten enough of my idiocy come be my fren on [tumblr](https://middleofnowhere92.tumblr.com)


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